A Night Visitor
by Coho Commanche
Summary: Marie Potter is confused, she knows that she should be mourning for Sirius, but her heart is telling her he's trapped in the Veil. Voldemort is frustrated by the strange emotions that Potter is able to stir in him. Mari, desperate to crack the Veil, strikes a deal with Voldemort: her body for the rest of summer in exchange for his help in saving her godfather. See inside for rest.
1. A Night Visitor

Full Summary:

Marie Potter is confused, she knows that she should be mourning for Sirius, but her heart is telling her he's trapped in the Veil. Voldemort is frustrated by the strange emotions that Potter is able to stir in him. Mari, desperate to crack the Veil, strikes a deal with Voldemort: her body for the rest of summer in exchange for his help in saving her godfather. She's biting off more than she can chew though, and her life is changed forever. Who knew Voldemort was such a possessive bastard?

A/N: This is the adopted version of Night Visitor by mksfroogle. She has given me permission to turn it into a full story of my own, so here's the results of turning me loose with a new story plot. The first chapter contains parts of the original, but most is different. Go check out her stories. I am going to post the explicit version on both sites this time. I've also decided to do the same to my other stories. I managed to get two chapters uploaded, one finished and the other unfinished. I tried to get the other unfinished chapters for my other stories up, but the stupid error message popped up again. Argh!

Disclaimer: I in no way own any of this. I apologize for any similarities/copying, I assure you it is unintentional.

Marie Potter, preferably known as Mari, was stomping through the front door of Number 4 Privet Drive. It was summer and she was supposed to stay inside, but fuck that. She had completely lost her temper and sent Uncle Vernon, also known as Vermin through the wall. The arrogant bastard actually thought that he could push her around this summer. He learned the error of his ways painfully. Now she needed to get away from her horrible relatives. Seriously, she was liable to kill them right now.

Mari had just finished her Fifth year at Hogwarts and was being forced by Old Whiskers to live in Durzkaban again. Her uncle had assigned her many chores for the day, but she said "fuck you" to his face and sent him through the wall when he tried to hit her. Petunia was still screeching like a banshee and Dudley was cowering in the kitchen when she stomped back to her room. Now it was night, and Vernon was moaning in pain, claiming that he was feeling worse and not better.

She hadn't worked up the energy to fend off her uncle the night before, and he beat her up when she failed to complete her list of chores. Now she was still bruised, but her magic had healed the cuts and broken ribs. She was still tender and walked gingerly, her legs sending painful reminders of the kicks her uncle had delivered.

Thank the gods she was too _freaky_ for him to rape. It was the only time that she was glad to be seen as demon spawn by her uncle. She'd have killed him if he dared try anything sexual.

It was warm night, the air slightly humid, but not too bad. The cool breeze that she could feel every once in a while felt good on her warm skin. She trotted down the road, briefly considering sitting on the swings before deciding that she didn't want to have to possibly deal with Dudley and his gang of morons. Veering off into the forest, she made her way to the stream that flowed through it. She used to come here all the time as a child, seeking a sanctuary other than the library from the Dursleys.

The full moon provided plenty of light to see by, so she was able to avoid falling flat on her face. The small clearing came into view and she smiled, glad to see it looked the same as the last time she was here. Making her way to the stream, she stripped off her shirt, shoes, and pants, planning to take a cool bath. She had just finished taking off her jeans when he scar burst with fiery pain. Voldemort was pleased about something.

_Fuck you and your emotions Voldemort!_

She mentally sent that down the link she had discovered between their minds, sending a strong burst of love for her dead godfather along with it to give him a migraine. She slammed the connection closed right after, locking down her strongest Occlomency shields to keep him out. The pain in her head faded as she cut the connection. Oh, she would have loved to see his reaction.

She felt tears gather in her eyes as she thought about Sirius, and the dream she had of him last night. A murderous rage swept over her, she wasn't sure if it was Voldemort leaking through the connection, or her own emotions, but she wanted to make Bellabitch _pay_. Oh when she got her hands on her again…

Dumbledore had been absolutely horrified when he arrived to see her and Voldemort calmly chatting over a screaming and writhing Bellatrix Lestrange. Mari had successfully cast her first Cruciatus and she was debating with Voldemort over its usefulness. She was mainly doing that to throw him off and scare Bellabitch into thinking that Voldemort didn't give a damn about her fate.

It had worked too, much to her delight, and Voldemort's reluctant amusement.

Neville had later whined that she should have waited for him to help torture Bellatrix. He actually said that in front of a confrontational Malfoy and the entire Great Hall that was listening in on their conversation. Neville had lamented over the fact that Mari had had all the fun when discussing the finer points of torture with Voldemort and torturing Bellatrix. Malfoy had paled so fast that he swayed and the entire Great Hall had gasped. Hermione had banged her head against the table when Neville said that.

Mari hadn't helped the situation by laughing her ass off. Moody had grunted that he approved of her actions when he saw her off on the platform. The twins had been delighted when they heard about what Neville did at the End of Term feast. The Ministry had tried to pin her with the use of the Unforgivable, but Augusta Longbottom had nearly ripped their heads off. She could send even Voldemort running for the hills crying for his mother. The poor Aurors didn't stand a chance.

Ameila Bones had simply laughed at the Minister when he demanded that she arrest Mari. Fudge had given up, and walked away with his tail between his legs when he went to confront Mari with Hitwizards. The Ministry was then treated to the sight of Mari and Augusta Longbottom ganging up on him. The fountain's remains didn't survive the encounter.

Mari was slightly mollified that Sirius had received a full pardon and reparations for his illegal incarceration. It was strange, she knew that she should be completely devastated about his death, but her heart insisted that he was simply trapped in the Veil of Death.

Mari was still kicking herself for believing Kreature when he answered Sirius's mirror and told her he was not there. The little fucker had been referring to the room, not the house. She'd sicced Dobby on him. Kreature didn't survive the introduction to Dobby.

The only good thing to come out of the disaster, was her finally being told the contents of the prophecy. She thought that it was complete bull. She was brought out of her thoughts by pain.

Her headache had suddenly returned, but something was off about it. The murderous rage swept over her again, and this time she knew that it belonged to Voldemort. He was hammering on her shields, his rage leaking through the cracks. It cut off abruptly, before chills went up her spine, and not due to the cold breeze.

Mari felt extremely vulnerable standing there in her bra and underwear. She grabbed Dudley's oversized shirt and pulled it on just as a crack sounded in the clearing. Her back was to Voldemort, so she didn't see him zip up behind her. But she sure felt it.

He stopped behind her, his breath ghosting over her neck. His face was right next to hers.

"Well, well Potter, no Dumbledore to save you now." Mari turned her head a fraction, lips almost grazing Voldemort's. His eyes widened.

"Indeed, I hadn't noticed. Here to kill me? At least get out of my face if you plan to off me Voldemort." He backed up as she turned to face him. She put her hands on her hips, knowing that as a male he would be distracted by the action. His eyes darted to her bare legs when the shirt rode up a bit.

"Eyes up here." She snapped her fingers, further disorienting him. He looked extremely conflicted.

He knew better than to try and possess her after last time. Hell, the disgusting emotions that she had sent down the link just a little bit ago had made him dash for the nearest bathroom…in front of his followers. He hadn't thrown up since his Hogwarts years.

_Little bitch. _

Last time he had manage to hold it in and inform her that she was an idiot for pitying him and trying to show him the error of his ways after forcibly bursting out of her mind.

She looked healthier and happier than he had expected. Why wasn't she devastated over the loss of her godfather? He was missing something, something vital. He loved mysteries, he refused to think the word riddles…

_Dammit!_

_That_ word. He loved solving them, learning all he could before moving on to the next thing to catch his attention.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

The last time Mari had seen Voldemort, he had tried to possess her and break her by using the pain and misery over losing Sirius against her. He had shown her visions of Sirius's death and how alike Voldemort and she were. She had fought him off though, and weakened him in the process.

Now the man was standing before her, the tip of his Yew wand stabbing into the side of her neck harshly. She watched him lick his thin lips as he glided it down to the top of the ragged old shirt. She absently noted his bare feet and trademark Dark Lord clothes. She almost laughed, but decided that she quite liked living.

She refused to keep her head down, and met his red slit eyes. "Why aren't you begging for me to spare you?"

Mari slowly smirked, leaning into the wand. "Who says I want to fight?" He looked startled, then calculating. He took a step closer, invading her personal space.

He grinned, displaying the slightly curved snake-like fangs in his mouth. The scales covering him shone in the moonlight, the human skin appearing dull where there were no scales. The effect was strangely beautiful. She caught a glimpse of hair suddenly.

"Is there a reason you have a glamor on?" Voldemort gaped at her sudden question, not having expected that of all things.

"You're the first one to notice that I have one on. Yes, I find that this form serves as an excellent way to terrify little Lions who should be in bed." The reply was sarcastic, and Mari laughed.

"How is it we seem to forget about attacking each other and instead get off topic and discuss the strangest things?" Her eyes shone with amusement, something he had never had directed at him in such a way.

"It's because you're a pain in my ass that simply won't die." His reply was quick and sharp. She gave him an outraged look. She slapped his chest playfully like she would do with her male friends.

They both stared at her hand resting against his chest like it was some strange animal.

"Err…" Mari didn't know what to say. She looked around, trying to come up with a reason why she felt the need to slap at him was appropriate.

"Are you suicidal?" Voldemort growled, pressing up against her, forcing her to take several steps backwards.

"Hey! Watch it, I almost fell in the water." Mari snapped at Voldemort, ignoring him in favor of regaining her balance.

Voldemort stared at Potter in disbelief; here a mere slip of a girl was acting like he was one of her male friends. He had never had someone treat him like this, and squirmed in discomfort at the emotions she stirred in him. She made him feel…human. Disgusting.

"Potter, why are you treating me like…" He trailed off, not wanting to say the rest of his sentence. She looked up at him, her luminous eyes catching him off guard with the depth of vulnerability shining in them.

"How could I not? Our very souls are connected, as are our minds. I felt you all those years ago when you were a wraith wandering Albania's forests. I felt you, your pain, and desperation. How could I treat you like a monster when I've seen and felt your humanity?"

He froze, was it her he had detected in his brief moments of sanity during those long ten years as a wraith? Was it her soul, her magic that had touched his when his existence became unbearable? Was _she_ the reason he was now sane, their shared connection dulling the madness plaguing him?

His gaze was drawn to the scar that had started it all, the very thing that connected them. He had new suspicions with her recent revelations and knew that to kill her before he knew for certain that her scar was simply the connection and not something else would be the height of insanity.

Mari warily stepped out of the stream, watching thoughts flit across Voldemort's face. He looked at her, a strange gleam in his eyes that made her squirm.

"I'll make you a deal. I won't harm you or your friends unless they attack me first for the rest of summer if we have sex tonight." Mari gaped at him in stunned disbelief. The man had no idea how lame that sounded.

"Let me get this straight, you want to have a one-night-stand in exchange for my friends' and my continued survival for the rest of summer, is that correct?" Voldemort nodded.

It took about three seconds for Mari to make up her mind.

"Deal." Voldemort blinked, not having expected her to actually agree. What he didn't know was that Sirius had cursed her with a chastity curse, which only broke recently. He also scared off any potential suitors in his Grim form or as pranked letters. She had blown up in an epic tantrum that scared Walburga's portrait into shutting up.

Plus she'd heard that sex was an excellent way to relieve stress. If she went back to Durzkaban tonight, she'd kill them without a doubt.

***Lemon Begins***

Mari pulled the shirt over her head, revealing her form that had always been hidden by baggy clothes or unflattering school uniforms.

Eyes locked on Mari's form, he took several steps forward.

"You're actually agreeing to this?" His voice sounded strangled. He placed his hands on her hips, marveling at the warm silky texture.

"Of course. I'd be a fool to turn down such a deal from you. Plus, I'm also using you as a form of stress relief." Her hands were working at the many buttons on his robes.

"You're using me to relive your stress?" He didn't really care though, as he unhooked her bra and took in her breasts. He licked his lips, cupping one and pinching the nipple harshly. He then spotted the bruises.

"Who did this?" His voice was poisonous as he forced her chin up to look at her throat at a better angle.

"My uncle. I was too weak to fend him off last night, but threw him through the wall when I lost my temper today. Why the hell are there so many buttons?" Voldemort narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Why were you too weak and how did you suddenly get the strength to hurt your uncle?" She glanced at him briefly before resuming her battle with his robe buttons.

"I was leeching off your excess magic of course." He nodded, before the words actually registered.

"What!" He grabbed her by the shoulders, ignoring her cursing at the slip.

"Well, I put the Muggle in his place, you should be glad that I used your magic to deal with him. The bloodwards always make me very weak as they leech off of my magic for the first week after I return. I've never consciously leeched off of you before, but you did it all the time before regaining a body, so stop complaining and help me get your robes off." She reached for the last of the offending buttons and he let her go. Watching in stunned disbelief as more pieces of the puzzle came together, he simply used magic to remove his clothes.

"Why didn't you do that earlier…"She trailed off, eyes growing larger and larger as she took in his body. "Oh my."

Oh my indeed. Hidden beneath his robes was a drool worthy body. Voldemort was ripped. No doubt he did a few rituals to help create the musculature he was sporting. She blushed as her gaze rested on his cock. I was huge, not that she had others to compare it to, except for the few naughty pictures she'd caught glimpses of.

He pulled her up against him, causing her to squeak and blush a vivid red like one of the Weasleys.

"This needs to go." He fingered her underwear, before simply vanishing it. He scooped her up, causing her to squeal in surprise, before laying her out on the grassy ground. He covered her body with his, using his wand to heal the bruises covering her. She sighed in appreciation, her green eyes looking up at him in silent gratitude.

He sucked on her neck, causing her to moan and run her fingers over his arms and chest. He kissed his way down to her breasts, sucking in a nipple, biting it with his teeth.

Her body jerked, bucking up into his. He hissed in pleasure as his cock rubbed against her skin. He switched his attention to her other breast, pinching the nipple on the other. She was whining and panting.

Voldemort kissed his way further down her body. She leaned up on her elbows, watching him with heavy lidded eyes. He dipped his tongue into her belly button, causing her to giggle and squirm at the ticklish sensation. He chuckled before nibbling at the dip of her pelvis over the crest of her hip. Her muscles jumped under the sensation.

He went lower, noting that she was bare of all hair except for what was on her head.

_A permanent hair removal charm had been carefully applied to her then. _

He breathed over her sensitive flesh. She grabbed at the grass as he licked her, his having no nose proved to he a plus.

She shouted and he quickly threw up wards to keep people away and prevent anyone from hearing them. Satisfied that no one was going to disturb them, he resumed his ministrations. Driving her to the brink with deep stabs of his tongue and sharp flicks against her clit.

"Please, Voldemort please!" She sobbed, clawing at the grass, her body bucking and arching into his mouth. "So close…stop torturing me you bloody bastard…oh…" he responded by shoving two fingers inside of her while flicking her clit with his tongue.

"Yes! There…no, don't stop…" He pinned her hips to the ground when he bit her clit gently, sending her over the edge in a mind shattering orgasm. She panted, trying to get her breath back after screaming. Her black hair clung to her sweaty face, her chest heaved, drawing his attention to her breasts. He kissed and bit his way up her body, making sure to cover her in love bites. His cocked jumped when she shifted her body, forcing him to brush against her dripping sex.

"You're playing with fire Potter." He bit her when she opened her legs wider, hooking them around his hips, pulling him tight against her. He cursed, bracing his arms on either side of his head.

Mari smirked as she watched Voldemort struggle to retain his control. His eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw clenched. He was breathing deeply through his slits, grasping at his fading ability to think rationally.

"Give in Voldemort, just let _go_." She reached between them, grasping his throbbing cock in her small hand. She stroked him several times, delighting in the full body shudder that shook him. Sweat beaded down his face as he stared into his lover's glowing green eyes. He grew more aroused when he realized they were the exact same shade of poisonous green as the Killing Curse.

He leaned down, brushing their mouths in a kiss for the first time. He pressed harder, nipping at her lips. She smiled and opened her mouth, tongue greeting his with passion. She positioned Voldemort at her entrance, staring into his red eyes. She pulled him towards her with her legs, only stopping when he flexed his hips. He paused with only the head inside her, watching her with glazed eyes. He pushed forward, then paused, having caught her wince of pain.

"Have you ever done this before?" His question was answered as he pushed deeper and came upon her unbroken barrier.

"When would I have the time, what with worrying about your next plot to kill me?" She barely managed to get the words out. Her mind was fogged with pleasure, rational thought flying out the window. Her body wanted, and she was going to get what it needed if it was the last thing she ever did.

Voldemort felt a surge of possessiveness. He was her first, and her last. He knew now that they were too connected for him to kill her, not that he would tell her. Oh no, he would let her continue to think that once the summer was over, he would go back to plotting to kill her. He planned to simply extend the deal after it expired, he knew she wouldn't refuse.

"Brace yourself." She grabbed his arms, expression determined. With a small thrust, he broke through her barrier. She gave a small scream of pain and shock. She gasped, tears falling from the corners of her eyes.

"Shh." He licked her tears from her face, kissing his way down to her mouth. He slipped his tongue into her warm mouth. He coaxed her tongue to battle with his. He easily won, exploring every inch of the moist cavern.

Mari shifted, testing to see if she was ready. She smiled into the kiss, silently letting him know that she was ready. He pressed deeper, sliding in inch by tortuous inch. She felt like a hot silk vice around him. Her body rippled slightly around him, drawing him deeper. He eventually came to a stop, completely buried inside of her.

"Move." Having drawn her mouth away, Mari gave the simple command that Voldemort was only too happy to comply with. He drew out to the tip, before slamming back inside of her. She screamed as he hit her hidden bundle of nerves.

He set a punishing rhythm, watching her breasts bounce as he slammed into her with enough force to move her along the grass continuously. "Harder!" He complied, forcing her body away from his with the strength of his thrusts. He pulled her legs up onto his shoulders, and hooked his arms under hers so he could grab the tops of her shoulders. Holding her body in place, he pounded into her, delighting in her screams and begging.

"Tell me, tell me what you want." Mari was a sobbing mess, her head thrashing and mind scrambled from the pleasure. She'd masturbated before, but it was nothing like this. A coil tightened in her gut, her muscles tensing. Her heart began pounding harder, trying to supply enough blood to her straining body.

"Fuck me harder!" Voldemort did so.

Mari was practically throwing her body at him now. "So close…oh…please…please." She continued begging, wailing as he slowed down, preventing her from tipping over the edge. Voldemort resumed his brutal pace when he felt his own end swiftly approaching. He reached a hand between their joined bodies, playing with her clit as he watched her come apart in under him.

He leaned down, kissing and sucking the side of her neck, moving to the spot where her shoulder began to curve into her neck. He carefully avoided her major arteries and veins running through the area, knowing he couldn't hurt her too badly where he planned to sink in his fangs.

"Come for me." Mari tipped over the edge, her body spasming and triggering Voldemort's own orgasm He buried himself as deeply as he could, sinking his fangs into Mari's neck. She screamed, thrown into a third orgasm for the night. He pulsed inside her, flooding her with his warm release. She shuddered, the sensation prolonging her orgasm.

***Lemon End***

They panted, Voldemort keeping his fangs in her, savoring the blood flowing from the wound. He pulled his fangs out of her body, wandlessly healing the bite-mark, but only so that it would stop bleeding. Two twin marks adorned her neck, looking like a Vampire had bitten her. He didn't worry about he poison in the fangs, he knew that after being bitten by the basilisk in the Chamber, she was immune to all poisons weaker or of the same strength. Since basilisk venom was the deadliest known poison, she wouldn't feel anything more than a light tingling sensation.

Voldemort pulled out, smirking at Mari's mumbled complaint. She was barely awake, and he was not much better off. The cool night air felt good on their sweaty skin. Voldemort grabbed his wand, casting a mild warming charm over the both of them. Scooping up his lover, he staggered the short distance to the cold water, wading in and lowering Mari into the water. She gasped, eyes shooting open as the cool water flowed over her hot body. Without the warming charm it would have been almost too cold to handle.

Shifting, Mari managed to get on her own feet as Voldemort slowly let her go. She reclined back against him. Letting him clean her up, far too tired to care if she was essentially letting him pamper her.

Mari fell asleep for a moment, her body slipping away from Voldemort's. He laughed as she fell into the stream, shooting back up spluttering in shock. She glowered at him indignantly. Deciding that she was clean enough, she stomped out of the stream, pouting when she realized that she had nothing to dry off with other than her clothes. She pulled them on, grimacing at the feeling of them sticking to her skin.

"I hope you get hit by the Knight Bus." With that last comment, she ran out of the clearing, shoes almost slipping off her feet.

Voldemort growled and shot a stinging hex at her, which she barely managed to avoid by diving behind a tree.

"You'll pay for that Potter!

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Mari laughed as she hobbled the rest of the way back to the Dursleys'. After the initial flight from the clearing, her body was screaming abuse at her. She slowly made her way to the front door, sneering in disgust at the perfection that filled her sight.

_Gods I hate this place._

Fortunately for the Dursleys, she was very relaxed after her session with Voldemort.

_I almost wish I could tell Dumbledore. Maybe he would have a heart attack from the shock and horror._

Silently opening the door, which was easy enough to unlock wandlessly, she closed it behind her, relocking it as she did. She grinned and snickered the large hole in the wall from Veron colliding with it. She supposed that he had finally been taken to the hospital, seeing as their car was gone and the house silent.

Making her way into the kitchen, Mari scavenged through the fridge, ignoring the unhealthy crap that the male Dursleys ate. She pulled out the ingredients to make a ham sandwich, relishing in the ability to eat without being glared at.

She decided that taking a nice hot shower while the Dursleys were gone was an excellent idea. She stared out the kitchen window as she ate her delicious sandwich. Hiding the evidence, she walked as quickly as she dared to the stairs, making a beeline for the bathroom.

Locking the door, she turned on the water to as hot as it could get, then cooled it some to avoid scalding herself. Steam billowed from the shower, and she leisurely washed her hair.

Knowing that she was pushing her luck, she shut off the water, and decided to read a bit before going to bed.

Sitting on her poor excuse for a bed, Mari stroked Hedwig gently. The owl barked in response to Mari's musings. She could always count on her Hedwig to provide sound advice. Giving up on studying her Potions text, she dropped it carelessly on the floor, before reaching over to turn off the lamp by her bed.

"Night Hedwig, kill some rats for me." Hedwig barked in agreement, swooping out the open window into the night.

Mari closed her eyes, mind drifting in lazy contentment. She fell asleep with a small grin on her face.


	2. The Morning After

A/N: You have no idea how hard it was for me to write the sex scene without slipping into anatomical terminology. Evidently sex scenes are not meant to be written while one is enrolled in a course on human anatomy. My siblings were howling with laughter…assholes. Oh, they're glaring at me now…oops. My brain feels like mush from all the studying. The chapter is a wee bit shorter because of finals.

**Chapter Two: The Morning After**

Mari stretched with a contented grin. Gods she felt good. Who knew having sex with your archenemy could be so satisfying. She hoped out of bed, stretching her arms over her head. Her wavy black hair was in disarray, her skin covered in bite marks. Voldemort was a naughty lover.

She grinned when she saw that it was seven am, the Dursleys were apparently too afraid of her after she blew up at them and sent Vermin through the wall. Voldemort had proved to be an excellent source of stress relief.

Humming, she danced around the room, scooping up clothes, smirking as she pictured her relatives' faces. Oh, were they going to be surprised. She had been too upset to remember to change out of Dudley's castoffs before storming out of the house last night.

She sobered when the reason why she had the new clothes flashed across her mind. Sirius had glamored himself and taken her out into the Muggle world to buy her acceptable clothes. Hermione had tagged along, helping her sneak in a few flirty and risqué outfits. Sirius had thrown a snit when he saw her mini skirts and dress.

Tears filled her eyes and her good mood crashed and burned. Flinging herself across her bed, she sobbed as memories of Sirius filled her head. Oh how she missed him. She frowned as her dream came back to her, it had been haunting her ever since he fell through the Veil of Death.

In her dream, Sirius was calling out to her, begging her to save him from the cold and darkness. Her gut and heart were telling her one thing: that Sirius was still alive, only trapped. She felt like time was ticking, like Sirius was running out of time to be saved. She bit her lip, knowing there was only one person that might be willing and able to go through the trouble of cracking the Veil of Death: Voldemort.

Slipping off of the bed, Mari marched over to her desk, grabbing a piece of parchment and a self-inking quill.

_Dear Voldemort_

_Gods that sounds weird. I have a proposition for you. You help me crack the Veil of Death and possibly save my godfather, and I'm yours for the rest of summer. I also promise to remain neutral in the war. I never wanted to fight you, you just try to kill me, so of course I'll fight back. The Sorting Hat said that I would have done well in Slytherin, and it's time for me to shed the lion skin that I've hidden in for the last five years. _

_I am tired of fighting, I just want to be able to relax without worrying about your next plot to kill me. Send an answer back with Hedwig; she will attack anything that tries to mess with her. I've had her attack other owls and steal the mail they were bringing me several times before. What can I say, she's possessive…_

_So, what do you say?_

_Sincerely the-pain-in-your-ass-that-simply-won't-die Marie Potter. _

_P.S. I should warn you that the prophecy is nullified if you agree to my terms. Cheers!_

With a grin, Mari got up and walked over to her beloved owl.

"I need you to take this to Voldemort girl. Peck the Malfoys if you see them for me love." With a hoot of agreement, Hedwig swooped out the window.

Unfortunately for Mari, Voldemort wasn't staying at Malfoy Manor.

As Hedwig was winging her way to her mistress's mate, she spotted another owl making its way towards her mistress's territory. Hedwig reluctantly let the owl pass her, knowing that she had to get the letter to her mistress's mate. Luckily for the other owl, it was a normal, non-postage owl.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Voldemort woke to Nagini complaining about the lack of fresh rabbits in the forest. He rolled back over, not wanting to get up yet. He glared at the wall, why couldn't she just shut up?

Normally, Voldemort would wake in a foul mood, wanting to _Crucio_ anything that moved. To say he was not a morning person would be a gross understatement. Today however, he was in a pretty good mood, despite his annoying familiar. Ironically, Potter was the reason for his good mood for once. She was awake from the active buzzing over their connection. He was tempted to poke at it, but decided he didn't want to risk a migraine this early in the day, so left it alone.

Casting a quick _Tempus_ when he realized that falling back to sleep was simply not going to happen without magical aid, he cursed when he saw how early it was.

_It's not even eight thirty. Urgh._

He was a night owl, preferring to stay up into the early hours of the morning, and hiding away from the sun like a Vampire. That and he could drop the annoying glamor for greater periods of time than he would be able to if he rose early and similarly went to bed early.

Not caring that he was naked, he sleepily walked to his obscenely large bathroom, breaking his badass Dark Lord reputation when he took a bubble bath. Mari would probably pass out from laughing so hard if she ever found out…more like _when_ she found out. Not that our favorite Dark Lord knew he was going to be found out. His followers were going to enjoy the show.

Sighing in contentment, he growled in annoyance when a white-feathered menace pecked incessantly at the window.

"Shoo! I'm not dealing with you right now." Hedwig had a strange glint in her eye; Voldemort should have been worried. Unfortunately for him, this was his first encounter with Hedwig. She somehow managed to get the window open, using her beak to pull the slightly unlatched glass outward.

She began pecking him, grabbing his wand when he went to curse her. She flew out the window, dropping Voldemort's wand vindictively. She had done this to her mistress several times before and knew how much it pissed off the humans. They had to be reminded of their inferior status after all.

"I'll kill you!" Voldemort leapt out of the bath, sloshing water everywhere. Hedwig stayed out of range, fairly certain that he could still hurt her without his stick. She flew to the ledge, sticking out her foot so that he could see the letter. She waited for him to make the first move. Snarling, he lunged for her. Hedwig dove out the window biting the cord that attached the letter to her foot. It fluttered down into the bushes near his wand.

Voldemort was shaking with rage, unable to comprehend just how much of a nuisance Potter could be. Now that he had met her owl, he was having to reevaluate his stance on leaving Potter's friends alone. Knowing her, she would see the devil bird as a dear friend.

Giving a scream of frustration and rage. Voldemort tossed on his robes, using wandless magic to do up the many buttons. He flew wandlessly, shooting out the window and hovering.

Hedwig gave a hoot of alarm. She shot into the forest, hiding in the branches of the large trees.

Voldemort drifted to the ground, having spotted his wand, while imagining all the ways he could kill Potter's owl. Though he had never seen it, he had heard the Malfoy brat complaining that Potter had the most vicious snowy owl.

Without his glamors on, Voldemort looked like a Tom Riddle in his mid-twenties. His chocolate brown hair was wavy and ended at the tips of his ears. His ice blue eyes glared menacingly at the innocent rosebush. While he couldn't summon the letter without having it torn to shreds, he could summon his wand, and did so with relish. Oh that bird was going to pay.

He began sending cutting curses at the innocent bushes. Hedwig wisely decided to cut her loses and simply steal the letter from the bird that would be delivering it. She winged her way further into the forest, prepared to wait for the owl that would be delivering the letter.

Voldemort gave a cry of victory when the last of the branches blocking him from the letter fell away under a dark cutting curse. Summoning it, he stared at the wax seal. The cheeky brat had managed to find a press with a lightning bolt on it.

Mood already foul, the Dark Lord ripped open the letter, letting the envelope flutter to the ground. The light wind tousled his hair, drying it slightly. His eyebrows arched as he read the contents of the letter. He chuckled, delighted that she was willing to enter such a deal with him so soon. He grinned, more of a bearing of his sharp teeth. He stuffed the letter into his pocket, leaving the envelope on the ground for the Elves to take care of.

Deciding that the white-feathered menace could wait, he flew back up to his room.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Sirius Black was drifting, awareness coming and going. He felt like he was needed somewhere desperately, but couldn't form coherent thoughts. A voice echoed in his head, a young woman screaming his name.

It was cold, cold and almost completely silent. The only noise came from the incessant whispers surrounding him. He couldn't make out any words.

"Sirius!" He shifted, mind struggling against the heavy fog clouding it. He managed to clear his head briefly, and remembered everything.

"Mari!" He began calling for her, saying that he was trapped, that he needed her help. His pleading tapered as his mind grew cloudy once more.

Darkness consumed him.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Mari shot up in bed, having fallen asleep for a minute trying to study Arithmancy. The dream that she had been having more and more frequently was haunting her as soon as she nodded off it seemed. Tears filled her eyes and she sniffled, not wanting to become a blubbering mess. She was a silent crier, having learned early on that she would only be given harsher punishments if she made any noise that disturbed the Dursleys.

Hedwig, noticing that her mistress was sad, went off in search of a fat rat that she could give her. She wasn't sure why her mistress took savage joy in watching her tear apart unusually fat rats.

Mari looked at the still unopened letter from Voldemort, nibbling her bottom lip. She fingered the parchment, suddenly afraid that he would reject her offer. She gathered her courage and broke the seal, snorting when she saw it was a Dark Mark. She unfolded the letter, instantly recognizing the writing as Tom Riddle's. Strange that his writing hadn't changed.

_Potter_

_Your bird is a menace; she is going to end up stuffed and mounted on the wall when I next see her. I accept your deal. I have already begun research on the Veil of Death. Write everything from your dreams involving your godfather. Rookwood will gather the actual data from the Veil before we actually do anything. I will see you tonight, there is a portkey enclosed. _

_Sincerely, Lord Voldemort. _

Mari read the letter several times, several different types of excitement racing through her. She fell back on the bed, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. She knew that what she was doing was wrong, so very wrong, but she didn't care anymore.

Mari rolled over, and looked at the repaired digital alarm clock on her nightstand. Seeing that it was only 10:30 in the morning, and the Dursleys were not bothering her, Mari decided that she might as well sneak into Diagon Alley. Grabbing her invisibility cloak, she double-checked that her wand was secured in its holster before grabbing her money card. She dashed to her trunk when she realized that a hooded cloak would take care of her being not being recognized and subsequently mobbed.

Hot anger shot through her as she thought about the flightiness of the Wizarding world. Grinding her teeth as her magic rattled the things on her desk, she took several deep breaths to calm down. Rita Skeeter had gone from trashing her in every way possible, to singing her praises. Gods they were all morons.

She debated for a few moments on how she wanted to get to Diagon Alley. She nibbled her lip, a bad habit of hers that tended to drive males mad. There were several men in the near future to be punished by Voldemort for staring.

She suddenly recalled how Dobby had come previously to her while in Hogwarts when she called for him. Hoping that the same would apply anywhere, she called for the devoted House Elf.

"Dobby." A small snapping sound disturbed the quiet of her room, announcing the arrival of an over excitable Dobby.

"What cans Dobby be's doing for the Great Mari Potter?" Mari grinned her little friend. He was giving her a worshipful stare, eyes adoring. Mari's right eye twitched, annoyance and frustration building.

"I wasn't sure that you would come, but now that you're here, is it possible for you to take me to Diagon Alley?" Dobby squealed with joy, clapping his hands excitedly. This only made her more upset.

"Oh yes! Dobby be takings the Great Marie Potter to Diagon Alley!" His voice was high-pitched and shrill. Mari winced at the level of noise. Mari shushed him, not wanting to wake or disturb the Dursleys. She really didn't want to interact with them. A loud snore reached her ears, muffled by the walls and the door. So Vermin was asleep. She had no idea if Dudley was or not, but Aunt Petunia would be up doing something incredibly boring.

Mari reached for his hand that he was holding out to her. Making sure that the Great Mari Potter was holding his hand tightly, Dobby disappeared with a snap of sound, Mari in tow.

They reappeared in a small side alley off of Diagon, preventing people from seeing them.

"Thanks Dobby, I'll call for you when I'm ready to go." With a happy squeal, Dobby left Mari, his huge tennis ball eyes teary from her thanking him, and his huge floppy ears trembling with emotion.

Slipping on the black cloak, she pulled the hood up, spelling it to stick and added an obscuring charm for good measure. She melted out of the shadows, causing a gaggle of young girls to run screaming in terror. She chuckled, making her way to _Flourish and Blotts_. She needed more books on animagi transformations, as well as advanced charms and curses.

People shied away from her, giving her suspicious and paranoid looks. Rolling her eyes, she made her way to the back of the store where the more advanced and rare books were located. She browsed for an hour or so, adding books that caught her fancy to an enlarged basket. She paused when a shadow loomed over her. She turned her head, noting with alarm that Remus was staring at her in horror.

She frowned, why was his nose flaring? She internally groaned with dread as she remembered that his senses, already enhanced, were even more so around and during the full moon. No doubt he could smell Voldemort all over her, not that he knew the scent belonged to the Dark Lord.

"Please tell me you're not Mari." He begged, his wolf snarling as it picked up the faint trace of sex on the young woman before him. The figure stiffened, and he groaned.

"Mari, what have you done now?" Remus sounded defeated, his voice strained and exhausted. She looked at him, really looked at him, and saw how sick and weak he was.

"Sorry Uncle Moony." Remus pinched the bridge of his nose, having already known the answer. He had caught her scent as he was leaving from the _Apothecary_ with the pain relieving potion ingredients that he needed. Moony was becoming more insistent, becoming more involved in the conversation. Remus didn't really want to hold him back at the moment as both were in agreement over the necessity of finding the bastard and killing him.

"Who was it?" Mari startled, looking at him wide-eyed, not that he could actually see her face.

"Oh, just someone I met in my first year of Hogwarts." She flippantly answered, nervously evading his searching gold gaze, knowing that to lie was futile at the moment with Moony so close to the surface.

"Who. Was. It?" Moony forced his human body to growl out the words, wanting to rip to shreds the one who _dared_ touch his cub. His amber eyes glowed brighter, teeth and nails sharpening.

"Tom! His name is Tom." Mari tumbled over the words in her rush to answer the agitated Werewolf. She held her breath, praying that he would be satisfied and leave it at that. Yeah, and Malfoy would date a Muggleborn.

Moony sniffed the air, scenting no lies. He opened his mouth to ask another question when she spoke.

"Let me pay for my books, and we can continue this conversation somewhere else." She didn't give him a chance to agree or disagree, brushing passed him, making a beeline for the front counter. Moony stalked after her, snarling at the men that got too close. People shied away from him, terror written on their faces as they realized a pissed off Werewolf was in their midst.

"Moony! Leave the innocent shoppers alone, they are _not_ lunch!" Her shout drew more attention, but successfully managed to prevent him from attacking a particularly fat man that reminded the wolf of a certain rat. The fat man quivered, sweating and pale. As the wolf turned to his cub, the balding fat man raced out of the store, well, more like waddled.

Mari snorted as she paid, giving the trembling clerk a glare when he dropped her books…twice. Moony snarled at the man, displeased that he had upset his cub. He was contemplating which part of him to rip off first when Mari grabbed his arm and drug him from the store.

People scrambled out of their way as the duo trekked down the street toward _Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour_. Shoving Moony into the store, Mari marched up to the counter, ordering the chocolate deluxe for Moony, and raspberry white chocolate with truffles ice cream for herself. The clerk shakily handed over their orders, almost dropping the treats. Huffing at the cowardly reactions to seeing an irritated Werewolf, Mari handed Moony his ice cream. He grinned, displaying a mouth full of sharp teeth, fangs on prominent display where his cuspids should be.

Someone gasped, and Mari laughed at the delighted expression on Moony's face. "Common Moony, let Remus back out, I need to talk to him, and you have trouble forming words, no offense." Moony narrowed his glowing gold eyes at his pup, trying to decide if she had actually insulted him, or was just stating a fact. Growling softly, he reluctantly relinquished control to Remus, who eagerly took his place. Moony didn't fully retreat however, opting to stay just under the surface if he was needed, and so he could be part of the conversation.

"Thank you for the ice cream." Remus gently guided his dead best friends' daughter outside and to one of the tables. He hadn't said her name for fear that he would be overheard and people would put two and two together. Making sure that Mari was situated and chowing down on her ice cream first, he put up a strong silencing ward to keep their conversation private.

"Now, I believe you owe me an explanation pup." Mari gulped, her skin suddenly paling. He began eating his own sinfully delicious treat, closing his eyes and moaning at the taste. Both he and Moony loved chocolate. James had made the grave mistake of stealing his chocolate once; he could never look at Moony without cringing after that.

"I…I don't know where to start." Remus narrowed his eyes, a dark suspicion beginning to take root when he saw the peculiar bite mark marring her where her shoulder arched into her neck. She didn't smell like a creature had gotten hold of her, and that narrowed down the large list of potential meals for Moony to only a few.

"The beginning is usually the best place to begin…starting with how you got that bite mark." Mari's left hand flew to the area he was staring at so intently, her face heating in embarrassment. She cleared her throat, eyes darting around as she tried to force out the words that simply just wouldn't come.

"Tom's my boyfriend, and he's going to help me study the Veil of Death. I keep having these horrible dreams of Sirius calling out for me to help him. He's called for others as well, mostly you and myself though. They've been growing more frequent, appearing anytime I close my eyes for more than five to ten minutes, well, not so much when I'm meditating, but still." She neatly evaded the bite-mark question.

Remus's eyes had grown large, his mouth dry despite the ice cream melting in it. He swallowed thickly, his heart pounding and mind whirling. He knew that Mari had been deeply affected by Sirius's death, as had everyone that had been close to him, but he hadn't realized just how much. Mari needed help, but he had no idea who to go to in such a situation. She couldn't exactly waltz into a Muggle practice and spill her deepest fears and secrets.

"Mari, Sirius is dead, he's not coming back." He felt like knives were stabbing his heart, like the air was being squeezed from his lungs as tears gathered in her eyes. Moony snarled at him in anger, upset that he had made their cub sad. Moony also insisted that Sirius, their pack mate, was indeed still alive as Mari was saying.

"How do you know for sure Remus?" She looked at him intently, her chest aching. Anxiety built in her, making her nervous and edgy. Remus looked at her sadly.

"Mari…" Mari slammed hands down on the table, rattling the dishes as she pushed herself up from her seat.

"_Don't_ tell me that it's all in my head Remus." She hissed, sounding more like a snake than a pissed off teenager. Remus gaped at her in stunned surprise. Her eyes were flashing with fire, sparks of magic weaving through her hair. The beginnings of an aura surrounded her in a faint bluish-green light.

"Trust _me_, trust your instincts. Moony should know if Sirius is really dead." With those final words, Mari gabbed her bag of books and stormed off. Remus was left behind, sitting back into his chair and staring blankly at the wood grain in the table. Mari's bowl of ice cream disappeared with the pop, the magic from the runes on the underside of the table activating.

Remus placed his arms on the table, shoving his own old ice cream out of the way as he did so. Placing his head on his arms, he thought over what Mari had just said. He was conflicted; one part of him insisting that there was no returning from the Veil of Death. The other part of him, a part that he had denied became more insistent. His mind was telling him that Sirius is dead, but the steadily growing part that he previously repressed, his heart, insisted that Mari was correct. Moony agreed with this.

Depression crept up on him, eating away at his determination and strength. Then he remembered the conviction in Mari's voice, and Moony's certainty. Remus jumped up from the table, deciding that for once he would follow his instincts and trust his heart rather than his mind.


End file.
